Lawrence County
Alabama Genealogy & History Network

Welcome to Lawrence County ALGHN

Welcome to the Lawrence County Alabama Genealogy & History Network website providing free information to genealogical and historical researchers.

To share your Lawrence County, Alabama genealogy or history information, send an email to alghn@outlook.com - we will be pleased to include it here. If you have information to share for other Alabama Counties, visit the Alabama Genealogy & History Network state website and choose the appropriate county.

About Lawrence County, Alabama...

Originally part of Blount County, Lawrence County was created by an act of the Alabama territorial legislature on February 6, 1818, nearly one year before Alabama became a state. The county was created from former Chickasaw lands ceded to the United States in the Treaty of Fort Jackson in 1814 as well as the Turkey Town Treaty of 1816.

Lawrence County was named for Captain James Lawrence, a naval war hero from Vermont who fought in the War of 1812. The earliest settlers came to the county from Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, and later settlers came from Kentucky and Virginia. Some of the first settlements and towns included Melton's Bluff (no longer in existence), Oakville, Town Creek, and Moulton. Melton's Bluff served as the temporary county seat until 1820, when the more centrally located Moulton became the permanent county seat.

The first courthouse was a log cabin that was destroyed by fire in 1859. The second courthouse was a two-story, brick building that contained four offices, two jury rooms, and a courtroom. The building was used as a hospital during the Civil War. In 1936, the second courthouse was torn down to make way for the current courthouse, which is larger and more modern and has undergone several renovations since 1936.

In 1871, part of Lawrence County west of Town Creek voted to separate itself from the county because the county government would not build bridges connecting Town Creek to the rest of the county, thus making it difficult for those people living west of Town Creek to get to Moulton for county business. Eventually, this area became part of Colbert County.

On April 27, 2011, a massive storm, causing numerous powerful tornadoes, struck the southeastern United States. More than 250 people were killed in Alabama, including 14 people in the Lawrence County communities of Chaleybeate (3), Hillsboro (1), Langtown (2), Mt. Moriah (2), Moulton (1), and Mount Hope (5).

The county has a total area of 721 square miles, of which 668 square miles is land and 53 square mile (7.4%) is water. The population recorded in the 1820 Federal Census was 4,963. The 2010 census recorded 92,709 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are Limestone County (northeast), Morgan County (east), Cullman County (southeast), Winston County (south), Franklin County (west), Colbert County (west), and Lauderdale County (northwest).

Communities in the county include Moulton, Courtland, Hillsboro, North Courtland, Town Creek, Hatton, Caddo, Chalybeate, Five Points, Landersville, Langtown, Loosier, Mallard Creek, Mount Hope, Muck City, Oakville, Pittsburg, Red Bank, Speake, Wheeler, Wren, and Wolf Springs.

Lawrence County, Alabama Records

Alabama Genealogy & History Network has much information on our county websites - cemetery listings, community data, etc. Please visit the county or counties of interest to you.

Birth Records - The Alabama Department of Public Health maintains records of births from 1908 to present. This was the year Alabama began keeping official birth records. You can obtain official copies of birth certificates by visiting the birth record page on their website and following the instructions. Since there are no official birth records before 1908 for births prior to that date you will need to determine birth information from census records, bible records, baptismal records, cemetery tombstones, etc.

Death Records - The Alabama Department of Public Health maintains death records after 1908 on file. This was the year Alabama began keeping official death records. You can obtain official copies of death certificates by visiting the death record page on their website and following the instructions. Since there are no official death records before 1908 for deaths prior to that date you will need to determine death information from census records, bible records, funeral home records, cemetery tombstones, etc.

Marriage Records - The Alabama Department of Public Health can provide you with information for marriages that took place from 1936 to present by by visiting the marriage record page on their website and following the instructions.

All existing county marriage records for any date not listed above (and for the dates listed above for that matter) may be obtained from the county's Probate Office in which the marriage was held.

Divorce Records - The Alabama Department of Public Health maintains divorce records from 1950 to present. You can obtain official copies of devorce records by visiting the divorce record page on their website and following the instructions. Records for divorces occuring before 1950 may be obtained from the Circuit Clerk in the county where the divorce took place.